Phil Everly, the youngest of The Everly Brothers, died on Friday from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 74.
In the late 1950s and 1960s, Phil and his brother Don moulded rock ‘n’ roll with their high harmony, while their poignant lyrics captured the restlessness and energy of a generation of young people.
Their hit records included Wake Up Little Susie and Bye Bye Love. In all, their career spanned five decades, although they performed separately from 1973 to 1983. In their heyday, between 1957 and 1962, they had 19 top 40 hits.
“We owe these guys everything. They started it all,” Bob Dylan once said.
Two generations later, artists are still finding inspiration in The Everly Brothers’ music. Most recently, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and Norah Jones recorded a tribute to the Everlys and their album Songs Our Daddy Taught Us.
Phil Everly was born to the folk and country music singers Ike and Margaret Everly on January 19, 1939, in Chicago, two years after his older brother.
He last performed in public in 2011, but his son Jason said on Friday that he had been actively writing songs, living part of the year in Burbank, California, and the rest in Nashville, Tennessee. He said his father had been in the hospital for about two weeks before he died.
* Associated Press
